20aliens:

Home of Architect Colin St. John Wilson, Cambridge, England 1972. 

Just a short note that the memorial article “Analysis and applications: The mathematical work of Elias Stein” has just been published in the Bulletin of the American Mathematical Society.  This article was a collective effort led by Charlie Fefferman, Alex Ionescu, Steve Wainger and myself to describe the various mathematical contributions of Elias Stein, who […]

Ahsoka's conflict with Obi-Wan can serve as a lesson in disagreement and debate.

The actor behind Luke Skywalker takes StarWars.com on a journey through filming the Star Wars sequel in time for the 40th anniversary of its release.

Plus, get a first look at the game’s key art -- revealed in celebration of Star Wars Day!

These lines are impressive. Most impressive.

Luke Skywalker discovers a powerful lesson that can be valuable to your own younglings.

  We got Cities: Skylines – The Board Game  a couple of months ago and I really didn't know what to expect before my first play. Sometimes there is a game on the horizon that's all the buzz in my circles and I'm super excited to order it, get it home, and get it on the table. Other times, it's my husband who catches the fever for a game and brings it into our house. And every now and then, a publisher asks me to review a game I've never heard of and haven't built up any anticipatory excitement for yet. Such was the case with Cities: Skylines – The Board Game. The team at Kosmos sent this cooperative game my way and asked me to give it a try. It’s designed by Rustan Hakansson (other works of his I am familiar with include HexRoller and Tribes: Dawn of Humanity) and based on a video game of the same name that’s popular across multiple platforms (Nintendo Switch, Xbox One, & Nintendo Switch).

  I remember opening the box for the first time and setting everything up. The box cover art is nice but the rest of the artwork (provided by the German design studio Fiore) is easily described as adequate. We're not handing out any awards here for most beautiful game, is all I'm saying. I thumbed through the rulebook as we readied for our first game and at least that was a win - I found it to be concise and well-written. I especially liked that the rulebook author made a point to highlight that even though Cities: Skylines – The Board Game is a cooperative game where it's important to collaborate, it is up to the active player to make the decision on their turn. Way to nip that Alpha gaming in the bud!

Once my husband and I started playing the game, I quickly realized it’s very different from other games. It gives me the same feeling of zen as putting together a Stave wooden jigsaw puzzle. We’re not battling a monster or racing against the clock or trying to fend off a pandemic. We’re urban planners, carefully and thoughtfully placing building tiles into our city districts in an effort to score the most happiness (points) possible by the game’s end.  Very relaxing, yet still intellectually challenging.

The game begins with players selecting a set of game board tiles (4 unless you are playing the introductory game with just 3) and arranging them facedown. One of the tiles is flipped over (there is a $$ cost associated with flipping each tile, which is deducted from the starting city treasury funds) and development may begin. Each tile is divided up into districts, formed by the street borders, and all construction takes place within these districts. When new city game board tiles are flipped over (at checkpoints - called milestones - that may only be triggered once every district visible has a building constructed within it), land surfaces must face up against land surfaces and water must face water.

To build out the city, players they use construction cards (dealt in the beginning of the game and also drawn each turn) to put up residential, commercial, industrial, utility, service, and unique buildings.

Placing buildings can trigger increases or decreases in the city treasury; utilities (power, water, garbage); employment; happiness; and negative externalities (pollution, traffic, crime). If the placement would trigger a decrease beyond what the planners have in the treasury, the building cannot be constructed. You also cannot construct a building if it would cause any of your utilities to drop below -5, cause any of your negative externalities to increase beyond 5, or cause your employment to go out of the range of -5 to 5. And while there is no cap on happiness increases, any construction that lowers your happiness beyond -4 ends the game with a loss immediately. At the milestone checkpoints, utility shortages decrease happiness just before the happiness is transferred to the main score track and at the end of the game negative externalities do so as well. So our first consideration in construction must be how it will impact all of these measures.

Several buildings trigger effects based on having met prerequisites. For example, building a residential zone might trigger an increase in the city treasury if you already have a park constructed in the same district. Or a building a commercial zone might increase the city treasury and happiness if you have both a park and a medical clinic in the district and you can place the zone adjacent to both of them. In order to get the most benefit from these types of constructions, planners need to carefully think and rethink building placement before selecting a building site and so this is a second consideration in construction.  

When selecting residential, commercial, or industrial zones to build, there are a dozen or more tetris-like shaped tokens to choose from. Because buildings can only be placed in a district if they physically fit, and we want to maximize the number and type of buildings we can place into each district, a close examination of the shapes during selection is a third consideration in construction.

In addition to the game tiles, buildings, and construction cards, Cities: Skylines – The Board Game  includes role cards that grant special abilities to each planner, policy cards that provide a one time benefit when played, and news cards that add difficulty in the form of disadvantages. It’s recommended to leave these three card types out of your first game to keep things simple, but they definitely make the game more fun, so I’d recommend incorporating them into your subsequent games.

I want to make an important note regarding player count. The box notes that 1-4 can play Cities: Skylines – The Board Game but there’s no way I’d play this with more than 2 players total. We didn’t even attempt a 3 or 4 player game because it was easy to see it would be frustrating – just too many people to negotiate with on implementing a coordinated plan. I guess if you’re the type of person who would work on a jigsaw puzzle with 4 people at once, you might give it a try? But I’m definitely not that kind of person. As a 1 or 2 player game though, Cities: Skylines – The Board Game is great. We could all use more calm during this crazy COVID-19 pandemic and puzzle games like this one provide it.

-------------------------------------------------

Publisher: Thames and Kosmos
Players: 1-4
Actual Playing Time (vs the guideline on the box): 1 hr
Game type: cooperative, tile placement, hand management, puzzle games, solo games
Rating:

Jenni’s rating scale:
OUI: I would play this game again; this game is ok. I probably would not buy this game myself but I would play it with those who own it and if someone gave it to me I would keep it.
OUI OUI: I would play this game again; this game is good. I would buy this game.
OUI OUI OUI: I LOVE THIS GAME. I MUST HAVE THIS GAME.
NON: I would not play this game again. I would return this game or give it away if it was given to me.

Cities: Skylines - Cooperative City-Building Board Game from Kosmos | Based On The Hit Video Game | for 1-4 Players Ages 10+ | Develop & Manage Cities & Neighborhoods

Hello Everyone!

Chapter 02 of Starfighter has officially begun! I have really been looking forward to this moment and hope you enjoy the next installment of the story. With the first chapter of Starfighter in the capable hands of our printers, I am now free to work on pages again! Thank you so much for your patience and support; it is truly appreciated!

If you haven't already, feel free to check out the shop and subscribe to the RSS feed!

Much love, - HamletMachine

Hello Everyone!

It's happened! Starfighter: Chapter 01 is now available for pre-order!

Starfighter: Chapter 01 is a full color, 64 page 8"x6.5" booklet that includes the full first segment of the story as well as six new, exclusive illustrations, with a message of thanks to the fans and supporters! This run is limited; be sure to pre-order a copy of this sexy space saga today and be a part of Starfighter!

Starfighter: Chapter 01 contains graphic adult content and you must be at least 18 to purchase it!

All comic orders come with a small special goodie, And will ship on Dec. 3rd!

Starfighter: Chapter 01 is available for international shipping! If you have any questions about how to order or shipping availability, please email: starfightercomic@gmail.com

Thank you so much! To everyone that's read the comic and to everyone that pre-orders, YOU HAVE MY THANKS! And my love. You're the best! I couldn't have done it without you. -HamletMachine

Hello Everyone!

The pre-order for Starfighter: Chapter 01 has concluded! This means that all comics that are ordered from now on will ship out immediately. My love and undying gratitude to everyone that has ordered so far! You guys are so awesome. Seriously, thank you so much!

If you have any questions about how to order or shipping availability, please email: starfightercomic@gmail.com -HamletMachine

I will meet you there this weekend!

I'll be at TABLE F2 with the lovely keshii! There's going to be a lot of amazing and beautiful people there!

I will have Starfighter: Chapter 01, t-shirts, hot shorts, AND ALSO, some sweet extras. This will be my first con with a table.. and it is all because of you guys! Thank you so, so much! I can only hope I can meet you guys so I can thank you in person; you have my humble love and affection.

I'll see you there, sweethearts! -HamletMachine

Hey Everyone! I've been hard at work for the last month or so on doing a small update to the website. The most obvious thing you'll see is it's gotten a bit of a facelift which will hopefully make it a little easier to use. I've also tried to streamline things a bit so we don't have as much server strain when Hamlet puts out a new page.

Additionally, we've put in a new fanart section that features a whole bunch of awesome Starfighter fanart done by sexy Starfighter fans from around the world!

The games section is also improved, sporting games to some of our favorite awesomely talented artists.

If you don't watch HamletMachine on DeviantArt, check out the extras section too, where I've added a bunch of her recent Starfighter drawings.

Wow, ok that's it for now I swear! -Thisbe

I'll be at TCAF in Toronto this weekend with thepapermouse -- just for fun! I won't be at a table, but YOU CAN buy Starfighter: Chapter 01 from the Saicoink's (romanshoubu) table! I don't have a number for where Saicoink will be, but I do know it's on the first floor somewhere (I'll update if I find out more!). If you find me, I can give you a sticker and my sweet love. Don't worry, I'll be gentle.

Con Info

See you there! -HamletMachine

Hey Everyone! Just want to let you all know that HamletMachine has set up Starfighter related accounts on both Twitter and Facebook. You'll now be able to get Starfighter updates on whichever site you prefer! You can get to these Starfighter related pages at any time via the icons in the upper-right hand side of this page. Feel free to drop by and say hello!

In other news, we've added a set of 1" buttons to the Starfighter Shop. You get one each of Cain, Abel, and the Starfighter Logo!

Also, I have it on good authority that a new page is on the way! -Thisbe

It's Starfighter's Birthday! I thought I'd celebrate by announcing the big news..

Polish your vinyl sweethearts, I'll be making the big trip from NYC to SF to attend Yaoi-con this October! I'll have a little love table and everything!

I am really excited to go! It'll be my first time there.. and just thinking about the vast treasures ...of erotica to behold is making me eager! Plus, I will get to meet some sweet west coast honies. So if you're in the area or heading over, be sure to stop by! I'll be so happy to meet you guys!

Here's some more about the con:

Yaoi-Con Info

It's a date! -HamletMachine

To celebrate the 69th page of Starfighter, I've updated the Starfighter extras gallery with an appropiately themed drawing of Cain and Abel! (It's the last image in the gallery) -HamletMachine

HamletMachine has a full review of our experience at Yaoi-Con up at starfightercomic.com!

Thank you all for your patience! I've had a lot of computer problems over the past two weeks and lost what I had been working on for page 26 of Chapter 2… But don't worry, very much like Narsil of King Elendil, IT HAS BEEN REMADE! My apologies for the delay! I really appreciate the continued love and support. And yes, I have a new hard drive now.

Also, the long awaited second Starfighter T-Shirt IS NOW AVAILABLE! This shirt had previously only been available at MoCCA and Yaoi-con, but now it's ready for purchase on the shop! This is actually the first t-shirt I designed, so I am quite fond of it!

Along with the new shirts, we've gotten in another shipment of the original Black Starfighter T-Shirt as well.

Thank you all so much! Enjoy! -HamletMachine

I wanted to drop a line and let everyone know that a new gallery of rough sketches and WIP inks of Starfighter are on the site! It's in Comic > Starfighter Extras > And then you will see a section called ROUGHS where you can browse everything. And of course, these are 18+! Enjoy!

There's also a new drawing of Abel in the Starfighter Extras gallery. Thank you guys so much! -HamletMachine

Starfighter prints are now up for sale at the online shop! These have previously only been available at conventions, but now you can have a print of your very own! There are five different illustrations to choose from; each print is 8 1/2" x 11" on matte paper, wrapped with a backboard.

Enjoy! -HamletMachine

There's a new addition to the Starfighter Shop: custom tote bags! These 12 oz. cotton canvas deluxe totes feature a screen print of a brand new illustration. Measures 14"x13", perfect for carrying comics and showing your Starfighter love! On sale now!

Also, Starfighter Chapeter 02: Page 39 has just been posted! Thank you all so much! -HamletMachine

Hello Everyone! I just want to quickly let you all know about a couple of improvements we've made to the Starfighter site. Starting last week, every comic page of Starfighter has had a link below it to its own comment section. We're using the Disqus comment system, which I imagine many of you are already familiar with. It's been working well so far and we hope you all like it! Even though it's only been up for short while, your response has been wonderful. Hamlet and I have both really enjoyed getting to hear all of your thoughts on the comic so far!

One other small change - you'll notice a new latest page link in the upper right hand corner of every page on the Starfigheter website. I wanted to make it easier for all of you Starfighter veterans to reach the new page each week. Hopefully you'll all find this more convenient!

Thank you all so much again for your enthusiasm in the new comments! Oh! And also, Hamlet's just finished the latest page. I'd say now would be a good time to give that new link a try! -Thisbe

Yes! It's time for my NYC to SF pilgrimage for Yaoi-con! The con will take place October 21st through 23, 2011 at The San Francisco Airport Marriott hotel in Burlingame, California.

I will be in the Dealer's Room this year!

I will have a bunch of new stuff with me: new t-shirts, new prints, new buttons, KEYCHAINS, and..

/ / / CHAPTER: 02 PRE-ORDER! / / /

WHICH I AM EXCITED FOR! This is a special promotion for Yaoi-con-- Chapter 02 will eventually be available online for pre-order, so don't worry if you can't make it to the con! The chapter is very close to being finished but there are still some smutty extras to draw for the printed version-- so please hold on a little longer, I promise it will be worth it!

I'll also be raffling off an original piece of traditional art, so watch out for that as well!

Ah, I am really looking forward to meeting sweet readers and hanging out with west coast friends! If you are at the con, please stop by, I would love to give you thanks and kiss your sweet fingertips!

As always, thank you so, so much for you love and support! I hope to do you all proud! -Hamlet

A full report on our trip to Yaoi-Con 2011 is up on starfightercomic.com!

Hello!

I've gotten a few questions about when Starfighter: Chapter 03 will start! I don't have a specific date, but it certainly won't be until after Starfighter: Chapter 02 is printed and on sale! Chapter 02 is going to have some exclusive extra art and I am working really hard to make it special for the readers.. It's going to be worth it, trust me! Just take my hand, sweetheart, I'd never lead you astray..

Thank you so much for your patience and support! ♥ -Hamlet

Hi everyone!

There's a whole bunch of brand spanking new Starfighter swag at the Starfighter Shop just in time for the holidays! There are new prints, new buttons, a new T-Shirt, and more! Go check it out! -Thisbe

Hello! Everyone who is waiting for the print release of Chapter 2, here is a progress report! The Deimos mini-smut-comic is finished, which is great, and I'm now in the middle of working on the Cain and Abel mini-smut-comic… which I have been waiting FOREVER to do! I'm so glad to get my black claws into this. So hold tight, my sweethearts, these goodies are on their way to you! I'll make more announcements as things develop!

Thank you so much for your patience! -Hamlet

For anyone that missed it: Starfighter has been on hiatus so I could get Chapter 2 to the printers. Instead of the six extra pages I planned.. I went a little overboard with the smut like usual and made twelve. So, IN SHORT: the bad news was: twice as many pages took longer to get done. The good news is: the wait is over and now the print version is finished and filled with sweet extras. It's 69 pages of comic +12 pages of smut, and will also be sold for the same Chapter 1 price of $14.

I WILL ANNOUNCE WHEN IT'S ON SALE! :D

TO THE YAOI-CON PRE-ORDERS: Thank you so, so much for your patience! As soon as we get the books in, they will be shipped out to you ASAP. (You will also be getting the online pre-order goodie with your comic!)

And Yes, Chapter 3 is starting, you can look forward to regular updates!

My big, BIG thanks to Thisbe and Onorobo, who I couldn't have done this without! Thank you both so much, I love you!

Thank you all so much for your patience! You have been so sweet and encouraging and I truly appreciate it! Thank you so much for sticking with this project.. I hope you continue to enjoy the comic! -Hamlet

TCAF site!

If you're attending, stop by and say hello!

(I don't have a table number yet but I'll be sure to announce this as soon as I know! If not, I'm sure you can find where my table is in the directory!)

EDIT: OH MAN! I almost forgot— At last Yaoi-con, there was a sweet person who had lost her voice from a cold (ah, I'm not sure if I got your name) and had printed out some TCAF info so I could attend— SWEETHEART, IF YOU READ THIS, THANK YOU! I hope to see you there!) -Hamlet

Starfighter: Chapter Two is available for pre-order at the online shop! HOW LONG I HAVE WAITED TO SAY THAT, FRIENDS! And now I have the highest honor of making it available to you! (Also, the goodie we're giving away for the preorder is a 3" Starfighter icon patch, which is really cute, so order while we've still got them!) Of course, more details are available on the item page.

We've also restocked t-shirts and added new prints!

THANK YOU ALL SO MUCH! I'm so excited! -Hamlet

I will be in the Otakon AA at tables S01 and S02 with my buddies, Lochi and Cucoo! The Teahouse ladies will also be right next to us, so it will be a big NSFW party!

Here's our table spot!

I'll be selling everything in the Starfighter shop, INCLUDING CHAPTER 02! The t-shirts are restocked and there's some new prints, plus a beautiful new Starfighter icon neckalce - so look out for those!

(I'll also try to attend the Homestuck draw party!) Please come say hello if you're visiting the AA- I really love meeting readers and I hope to see you!♥ -Hamlet

I'll be at OTAKUTHON in Montreal, Canada, this weekend!

Here's the con site!

I'll be at table #244 in the Exhibition Hall! I'll be selling everything in the Starfighter shop, INCLUDING CHAPTER 02, plus a beautiful new Starfighter icon neckalce!

ALSO! I'll be doing a late night 18+ panel scheduled for Saturday at 11PM, in the room “Panel 7” which is room #524AB!

I hope to see you there! -Hamlet

I'll be at YAOI-CON this weekend!

My table will be in the Dealer's Room this year! I'll be selling all the usuals to be found in the site shop - plus necklaces and sticker sheets!

I'll also be doing a SPECIAL PANEL at 6pm on Saturday! Filled with prizes, some smutty sketches, and shameless flirting.

Meeting readers is seriously the best thing ever and I hope I get to see you, if you're attending! -Hamlet

It's a double update all the way!

We had an awesome time at Yaoi-Con last weekend, it was so wonderful being able to meet all of you that came to the table and to the panel. Now that we're back home, Hamlet worked extra hard to get two new pages out for everyone this week!

We've also put a few new pieces of merchandise up on the Starfighter Shop! There's a new print, a Starfighter Icon Necklace, and a super-cute Sticker Sheet.

Enjoy! -Thisbe

Yaycon.nl is holding a ChipIn campaign to bring HamletMachine as a guest of honor to their yaoi/yuri con in the Netherlands! This is your chance to join the ChipIn and receive an exclusive print made for the campaign that won't be available anywhere else!

But the campaign ends March 1st, so be sure to get your print! More details are available at the Yaycon site! -Thisbe

I'll be at KATSUCON Feb. 15th-17th, in MD! More info at the Katsucon site!

We'll be at table #D17 and #D18 in the AA with my buddies Lochi and Cucoo! Look for Starfighter/Bone Menagerie! -Hamlet

I'll be at YAYCON in Amersfoort, Netherlands on April 6th!

THANK YOU TO EVERYONE THAT DONATED FOR THE TRIP! It seriously blows my mind that you made this possible and I'm so happy for a chance to go abroad and meet new friends at Yaycon!

For those that will be attending the convention: I will have your prints available for pick-up! And for those of you are ordered but can't attend, your prints will be mailed out after the con!

I HOPE TO DO YOU ALL PROUD!

(I will have to leave in a few days, so there won't be a page this week but I will do my best to make a treat for you!) -Hamlet

Hello everyone! I am very proud to announce that the Starfighter album is now available; this is made possible by the incredible musicians and artists that created for this project and I couldn't have asked for a better collaboration! There were so many great submissions that it was hard to choose only a few— EVERYONE DID A REALLY AMAZING JOB! Thank you all so, so much for your incredible work. The Starfighter fandom is super creative and wonderful and I'm so honored that you all participated!

If you enjoy the musicians' work, please check out their games in the track info!

Special thanks to Scarvenrot, who gave me a lot of help organizing the album!

The album is free to listen to and there are limited downloads per month! (EDIT: I upgraded the DLs to 1k! ;3) If you have any difficulties or questions about that, please refer to bandcamp's download FAQ!

Again, thank you all so much!

ENJOY! -Hamlet

I WILL BE AT OTAKON! IN THE AA! We'll have some copies of Coven, as well as my new witch zine Devil's Dance!

I will be a guest next year at Ahn!Con in Kansas City! This will be our first midwest con! There will be a special panel, plus we'll have Chapter 1 and 2 of Starfighter, as well as my new witch zine Devil's Dance!

Starfighter Chapter 3 is officially finished! The comic will take a brief hiatus and return on Feb 14th! For no other reason than it's Valentine's day and I am a romantic, HAHA- but for real, Thisbe and I have to prep the book for print and do a whole bunch of other things that need to happen and take time, so we'll have our hands full. I know I said I was aiming for a Valentine release for the print, but the book Chp3 will actually be coming out later-- I will be sure to make BIG ANNOUNCEMENTS when it's available!

*THE COMIC ISN'T OVER, IT WILL RESUME ON FEB 14TH!*

*THE PRINT RELEASE OF CHP 3 IS NOT SET YET, I WILL MAKE AN ANNOUNCEMENT WHEN IT'S AVAILABLE*

Chapter 4 will be the next and last chapter of Starfighter, if I can do this properly!

As always, thank you all so much for your love and support! I am really happy to share this chapter with you, it's been a lot of fun!

SEE YOU SOON! -Hamlet

This is the big surprise project I've been working on! The Starfighter visual novel is going to be awesome-- but I need your help to make it happen!

Check out the Kickstarter page here! There's lots of rewards, new art, and a description of the important stuff: how the game will work, what it'll be about, MY HOPES AND DREAMS, etc! (You can even play a little mini demo to give you an idea of what it will be like!) There is even a really sweet video Thisbe made with slick logo animation and you can hear my tiny wraith voice!

It's going to be really rad and I'm so excited about this--!

LET'S MAKE IT HAPPEN TOGETHER- visit the Kickstarter here! -Hamlet

I'll be in the Artist Alley, table M01:

I might be able to wrangle a very SMALL amount of Chp 2 and 3 early from the printer (the rest of the books will be coming in about two months, I'm told! Kickstarter merch can go out when those arrive! Ah, I'm sorry it takes a while to be made!), this way I will.. actually have some books to sell at my table! But it will be a very limited amount, so it might sell out quick!

I don't have a panel or anything at Otakon, I'll just be at the table- please stop by if you are around, I'd love to say hello!

See you there! -Hamlet

I'll be in the Dealer's Room at Yaoicon this year! (Sept 12th-14th) This is my only CA con this year, so if you're attending, please stop by!

SEE YOU THERE! -Hamlet

I'll be a guest at Nijicon, an east coast con all about m/m romance, Oct 18th and 19th in Valley Forge, PA!

I'll also be on a panel but I'm not quite sure when that will be just yet!

I hope to see you there! This will be my last con of 2014--! -Hamlet

THE SHOP HAS RE-OPENED!

CHAPTER 3 IS NOW AVAILABLE FOR THE FIRST TIME!

We also have new prints and Chp 2 back in stock, if you have been meaning to pick it up!

I FEEL LIKE SANTA~

I hope you all enjoy!

-Hamlet

I just wanted to add; we've got a bunch of new merchandise in production, but a lot of it isn't quite ready yet, so keep your eyes peeled over the next couple of months, because we'll be adding a bunch of new exciting items to our inventory!

*cough* body pillows *cough* *cough*

-Thisbe

I’ll be at Fanime! San Jose, CA, May 22nd - 25th!

I’ll be in the artist alley! I hope to see you if you’re attending! Come say hello~ -Hamlet